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On playtesting - Quote from the field

Submitted by giacomo on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 16:46

"Since I joined the developers I don't play much anymore. Testing the stuff I am responsibly for is just enough and I don't even enjoy it anymore. Playtesting is hard work." (Wesnoth developer, Interview 12/05/2011)

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Today, I stumbled upon this book Game design: theory & practice by Richard Rouse, Steve Ogden, 2005. It has a dedicated chapter to Playtesting (Ch.25). The opening of the chapter is quite funny if compared to what iis emerging from my fieldwork in Wesnoth.

Playtesting can be one of the most exhilarating parts of the game development cycle. It is then that you take the project you have been working on for months or years during which time only the development team has played the game, and show it to people outside the team. And, if all goes well, you can watch as they are entertained by your work, want to play it more, compliment you on what you have done, and have suggestions for how you might make it better....